Vegan Thanksgiving and plenty of Running

Tanya and I had considered running a local Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, but decided to pass and go on our own trot. We did an up tempo 5 miles on local trails. Where we ran can be a very busy place, but I was pleasantly surprised we had the trail almost to ourselves. Being thanksgiving morning I found that a bit odd, I thought it would be packed with people trying to burn extra calories for all the over eating that would be happening later that afternoon. I have to say that thought was on my mind; I knew I was going to most likely over eat.

Eat well we did ! Our Vegan Thanksgiving dishes were a hit! I just wish I had taken pictures to share with you all. We made a Mushroom and Collard Green Lasagna, the large dish was wiped completely clean and the guests were looking for more. This was our the first time making this dish, we anticipated it being good, but it turned out great.

And for dessert a Double Layer Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake I borrowed the recipe and the picture below from fatfreevegan.com and I loved it. In my family we traditionally make sweet potato pies for the holidays, but I was pleasantly surprised on how this pie turned out and it also disappeared very quickly. I guess I could substitute the pumpkin with Sweet potatoes (yams).

And what goes great with pie? Ice Cream, we tried Coconut Bliss for the first time. It was "Off the Hook"! Coconut Bliss is a vegan ice cream made from organic coconut milk, and it was worth the high price tag! Good Stuff!

On Friday Tanya and I woke up early and hit the trails again, and what a beautiful morning it was. The skies were clear and there was a cool crispiness in the air. Prefect to put in a few miles. We decided to power walk 10 miles and just enjoy the morning. Often in ultra events because of a long steep climb, or you are just broken down you have to walk. There is no better way to train for those times than to get out and focus on walking.

On Saturday we met and ran with fellow blogger/runner Pamela. Pamela was in town from Jacksonville Fl, so we decided to meet at the Santa Monica stairs, and then share a few miles together. I can speak for Tanya and I both, Pamela was a breath of fresh air, we connected immediately. She was down to earth and easy to talk to. After walking the stairs 5 times we headed down the beach and ended up doing an easy 6. We talked and talked the entire way. Pamela is running the Jacksonville Marathon in a few weeks, she is going to do great!

Sunday it was back to the trails. We ran 10 easy miles. I must say I am feeling pretty good. The aches I had been experiences are fading. I was curious to see how my body respond from the back to back days, but I felt great. We plan on having a easy week of training to be ready to run the High desert ultra next Sunday.

We hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend; we sure did and meeting Pamela was the best part!

Happy Trails,

Marc and Tanya